♪ melinda: hello, and welcome to "q"quadriga," where the focus is on turkey as president erdogan seeks to consolidate power following a failed coup. he consolidated power by declaring a state of emergency to enable "the removal of all elements of terrorist organizations" that were involved in the coup. the coupup ielf began last friday when tanks rolled through istanbul and military jets streaked through the sky above ankara. the uprising was quickly halted when thousands of erdogan's supporters followed his call and took to the streets. was this truly, as the president

claimed, a victory for democracy? he has moved quickly to initiate what he calls "essential cleansing" ordering the arrest of thousands, purging the military and academia. our question on this edition of "quadriga," turkey coup -- blank check for erdogan? to answer the question, we have invited three guests following events in turkey very closely. it is a pleasure to welcome seda serdar. she says erdogan does not need anyone to give him a blank check. he is doing what he wants. it is a great pleasure to welcome back alan posener. he is a british german commentator at die welt. he says nobody is about to give erdogan a blank check, but demonizing him will help neither turkey nor the west. great to have antje bauer with us, a freelance journalist who has reported on the middle east,

turkey, and afghanistan, and is working with the deutsche welle academy. she says turkey has a new national hero, mr. erdogan. he is as much an image of his ataturk was for his own. so, seda serdar, if this is a blank check, it looks as if mr. erdogan filled it out sometime ago. the list of journalists, officers to be purged, is so detailed and so long. it could not have been compiled in the last week. seda: i agree it could not have been compiled in the last few weeks. last few days, actually. we have to understand erdogan was already looking into the movement and how it was affecting turkey and his government. so with this failed coup, this

was, actually, for him, perfect timing to go after the people he believes are affiliated with the gulen movement. we have to be careful. because many people have been gathered quickly. we really need to know if these people, all of them, are really connected to this coup. how are they c connected? time is going to tell us. it is a little suspicious, i find. melinda: ok. let's come back in a minute to who may or may not have been behind the coup. antje, staying with the current situation, as the coup was unfolding, there was a astonishing degree of unanimity between supporters of the akp, opposition members of parliament, even the country's cultural and intellectual elite, saying we need to preserve democracy. we need to defeat this coup.

what is the situation now among those who are not direct supporters of erdogan's party? antje: the interesting thing was, as the coup happened, there was a certain unanimity. not of everybody, obviously. there was a minority with the military. but there was a large unanimity about preserving a sort of democratic system. i doubt talking about democracy, today's turkey. turkey has lived through four coups, three official and one hidden. nothing good comes out of coups, military coups. the situation after this is that we see polarization which existed in the turkish population before this is

getting stronger and stronger now. i would say that, after this military coup attempt, there was a second coup which is being implemented right now and which is working. obviously, there is a part of the population that does not agree with this. in fact, that atmosphere of fear and people frightened, many people thinking about leaving the country because of the actual situation. melinda: is that something you also hear from contacts that you have in turkey, that people are afraid and wonder if they maybe next on the list? seda: some people are afraid. they do not know what to expect. recently, the president said this will not affect fundamental rights. we have to wait and see if that is the case. we know now with this state of emergency, there is going to be a lot of restrictions. restriction of travel.

people who are thinking about traveling might not be able to. there will be searches on the streets. they will ask for id's. itit is going to be a different turkey. we have to wait and see. melinda: alan, there were lots of calls from powers outside turkey as the coup was unfolding to preserve what they referred to as "democracy in turkey." hasn't democracy been disappearing for quite some time there? i have heard critical voices saying erdogan was in the midst of carrying out his own coup. alan: you have to look where these voices are coming from. i mean, to say that democracy has not been there for some years is assuming that, before erdogan, there was a democracy and there was not. the deep state existed, the generals existed. means if turkey goes in

a direction we do not like, we will stage a coup. they have done this repeatedly. kemalism means a nonreligious caste ruling over a muslim population. that was unsustainable. erdogan did away with that. most people, most observers felt turkey under erdogan was moving towards democracy, not away from it. wereurse, kemalists screaming, it is the end of democracy. it was the end of the deep state, the end of the ability of generals to stage a coup when things were not moving as they wanted. that was a good thing. the question is, will the deep state be replaced by an a.k. deep state? i think we need to wait and see. that would be a terrible thing. melinda: kemalism is a reference

to the separatist republic established by mustafa kemal ataturk almost a century ago. the military has seen itself as a pillar of that order. this time, the coup failed. as mentioned, there have been previous coups that succeeded. this one failed. do the events of this past week deal a crippling blow to the military and the old secularist order? >> for decades, the turkish army has guaranteed a separation of church and state in turkey. it also plays a major economic role in the country. it is a shareholder in companies and banks. this was the fifth time the military has intervened since the republic was founded in 1923. the army always stepped in when leaders decided the state doctrine was in danger. the four previous coups succeeded.

there have been worries another could happen ever since erdogan's akp party assumed power inin november of 2002. and the party feared it, too. many top figures in the army have been replaced over the years. hundreds of other military figures arrested. the latest coup attempt failed. is the power of the turkish army broken for good? melinda: what do you think? is that power broken for good? is the army no longer in the role it has so long been seen in in turkey? seda: the people that attempted this coup, it would be wrong to characterize it as the turkish army. this is different from the other coups. it is a small group of people in the army. it is dangerous to say the turkish army was responsible for this.

having said that, of course, with the akp government, the role of the army has started slowly changing, complying with eu regulations, trying to make turkey more democratic. the role did change over the years. at least with this state of emergency, the governors of turkey right now are going to decide what the army is going to do. we are going to see after the emergency state is over how the army is going to be functioning, if it is still going to be functioning as it used to. is it going to be connected with the defense department on those changes? we still do not know. melinda: antje bauer, are we seeing the end of kemalism, that secularist model, but also the end of erdogan's phase of democracy?

antje: i think erdogan's phase of democracy has finished. i agree when he started governing, he was introducing a sort of democracy not known in turkey. he gave a voice to muslim parts of the population that did not agree with the secular elite, mainly sitting in the west of the country and saw themselves more as european and looked down to these poor people who are muslim. in the beginning, i sympathized with erdogan. this has changed some years ago. he has started being more autocratic. i think the democratic phase of what he did has finished about three years ago, four years ago. he is looking more and more like a dictator.

this is a good opportunity now to do whatever he wants, take over the power where he had not had it until now. melinda: that would take us back to the blank check idea. alan, where do you think the blank check could lead? do you expect turkey to become an outright islamic republic? alan: that is the question. if so, he is attacking the wrong people. the gulen movement he is accusing of being behind this plot, are conservative muslims. they have infiltrated, no doubt about that. if you wanted to establish an islamic republic, you would use them. if you use the state against gulen, he is undermining any hope of establishing an islamic republic.

it boils down to a semi-dictatorship that turkey has known so often. mr. erdogan will be more dependent on the military than if he had been together with mr. gulen. it is an unclear situation as far as islam is concerned. melinda: let's recall the movement that alan posener just mentioned, established by the islamist cleric, fethullah gulen. his followers have set up p a network of schools the turkish president claims are associated with the coup attempt. he blamemes gulen personally for the attempt. interestingly enough, the two were once allies. now, mr. erdogan is seeking extradition of mr. gulen from the united states, where he had taken up residence some years

ago, saying mr. gulen's organization has infiltrated schools and many other institutions in turkey as well. how far do you think president erdogan is likely to go to try to root out this conspiracy, as he calls it, and how far do you think the gulen movement actually reaches? seda: a tough question for anyone to answer. experts that have been researching the gulen movement for years, they are also clear that this was an attempt made by the gulelen movement. talking about turkey becoming more islamic, and if the gulen movemement should be a partner, they were a partner. that is how they got rid of the

secular generals that were in jail for so many years that are now out. it does not exist anymore, a trial used to get rid of the secular generals. it is hard to say how deep gulen was involved, but it is not a conspiracy that it exists. melinda: antje bauer, the united states government says it has received documents from turkey that purport to include evidence that gulen was involved. what is your take on all of this? do you think he is behind what we saw last week? if so, should he be extradited even if he maybe faces the death penalty? antje: it is difficult to prove something like this. i do not know if he is behind it. he denied it.

i think what is being played is a power game. as you said before, they were once friends. they separated. since then, gulen is the outspoken enemy of mr. erdogan. i think the point is that there is a power play inside the system of the turkish system. in turkey, they talk about the parallel state, which the gulen movement has built up. they built it up together, gulen's people and erdogan's people. now there is a power game, if the gulen people are still there or if erdogan manages to replace all these gulen people with his own people. it is not a question of ideology. both of them say they are moderate islamist muslims,

political muslims. the difference is power play, i think. the question is not so much should he be extradited. what did he do exactly? it is more about what is going on. how much state will remain? they politicized everything. that is the main problem, i think. the state of law is getting zero. it has become less and less in the last year. they are eliminating what remains. melinda: now, interestingly enough, threats from gulenists, putsch-ists, are by no means the only threat the government is facing. they have resumed hostility with kurdish militants in the southeast, and it is facing attacks from islamic state. the west has been depending on turkey as a partner as it seeks to fight i.s. and contain the stream of migrants from the middle east.

will turkey remain a dependable partner? >> incirlik air base plays a key role in military operations against i.s. now severaral turkish militatary officers there have been arrested, accused of taking part in a coup attempt. german mp's have been denied access to german soldiers stationed at incirlik. is the country still a reliable partner in the alliance? turkey is considering the reintroduction of the death penalty. that is a redline for the eu. >> no country can become a member state if it introduces that penalty. that is very clear. >> will this turn european sentiment against turkey's bid for membership? erdogan is in a powerful bargaining position with the refugee crisis. is europe dependent on turkey? melinda: alan, how concerned

should the west be about a destabilized turkey? will all the various things now being said by western leaders make any difference at all to erdogan? alan: we need to stabilize turkey. it is the only stable state except for israel in thehe regi. it is an ally, member of nato. we are totally dependent on them to keep order there. he has more influence on us than we have on them. the fact we are negotiating membership means we can say, if you do this, you will not get in. melinda: does he care? alan: he says he cares. as long as he does not break up negotiations, we should not. melinda: seda, one of the sad statements that i have heard repeatedly from people in turkey is that turkey has become a country much like all the other

countries in the region -- unstable, autocratic. do you think that it is right? seda: it is a very sad statement. i believe it is going in that direction. but turkey is different from the other countries in the region. there is, of course, the danger for it to fall in that pit, if you will. turkey has to be careful. the eu also has to be very careful. the eu played its cards wrong with the refugee deal. they ignored everything turkey was doing against human rights, fundamental rights. they f focused on the e refugee issue. melinda: what should the eu change right now? seda: that is a million-dollar question. melinda: they have the eu over a barrel. the eu relies on turkey. turkey has millions of refugees in its country. if it were t to open the gates, the flow starts again. seda: it does. the eu has to be careful.

the best thing the eu can n do s show support. what they can do right now is, at the same time while showing support, promoting democracy, they should be careful and watch what is happening. melinda: would you agree the west has, in a sense, given turkey a blank check in the past? if so, what check should they issue now? antje: the influence of the west is small right now. in fact, everybody in turkey knows that there is no eu membership in the middle term. maybe not in the long-term. they are aware of this. i think the popularity of europe has decreased very much in the last year. i think the influence is very small. i agree with what seda said. the eu has to talk to them, try to ask them to respect the state of law. there is not much more we can do.

seda: i think saying we are going to stop negotiations, that is the wrong move. alan: we need to demand proof that gulen was behind it. if it is conceivable that gulen tried a coup against an elected government, we have a problem. there are lots of gulen schools in europe and africa. this needs to be proved beyond the shadow of a doubt. if it cannot be proved, we need to demand the release of all these people that have been arrested. if it can be proved, we need to look at what is going on in our own countries. this is key. melinda: is that a plausible scenario to you? if the eu or u.s. were to say, we have seen the evidence. we are not convinced. you need to release those people. would it happen, seda?

seda: i do not think that would happen. alan: you do think we should definitely look. seda: definitely, definitely. i believe the evidence should be open, should be transparent. that is what the eu should focus on, understanding who these people are. are they getting a fair trial? i believe that is the key. and the government argues that they have the evidence, that they have sent it to the u.s. the u.s. is saying they have not gotten official demand yet. it is a very tricky situation. gulen is in pennsylvania on a farm. it is a very well-guarded location. it is a big topic. melinda: antje, i mentioned the eu being over a barrel. the u.s. is eager to prosecute the war against i.s., using the airbase in the report. its commanding officer is among those who have been purged.

does the u.s. have interest in getting tough with turkey? antje: the problem is there are anti-american slogans in turkey being voiced. high officials of the government also said that the fact that there were leaders of the base who were involved in the coup attempt, it means the americans are behind it. i do not think thehe americans have much leverage. seda: turkey also needs nato. we should not forget that. turkey is fighting i.s. they have the kurdish rebels, or as they prefer, terrorist organization, at the same time. we have all these generals that have been arrested. turkey really needs nato as well. melinda: could that help

moderate that blank check, alan? perhaps get some kind of negotiations going? alan: i guess it could. in the past, nato has not cared whether turkey was a democracy or not. nato dealt with whoever was in power. it mostly was generals and so on. i wish nato would be very tough on this. i fear the eu does not have negotiating power. i wish they would do that. melinda: many thanks to all of you for being with us on this look at the turmoil in turkey. thank you for tuning in. see you soon. °qwueeewep@1@xxxxxx

claimed responsibility. our reporter gunnar kohne went to this dangerous region to find out more. gunnar: the city of gaziantep lies about 65 kilometers from the syrian border. since the war broke out in syria, hundreds of thousands of refugees have found sanctuary here.

among them are many syrian journalists. one of them is a young reporter, who we'll call ahmad. he's been researching the brutal atrocities committed by the so-called islamic state. he no longer feels safe in turkey and lives in hiding. after a long wait for an interview, we meet him in an empty playground on the edge of town: >> my family lived for a while in an is-controlled area. before they were able to flee, they were threatened repeatedly because of an article i wrote. then is started threatening me directly, writing that they would find me and kill me.... i can work from home, and i don't leave my apartment unless it's absolutely necessary. and i change address regularly. his fears are not unfounded. in mid-may, his colleague mohammad zahar al-shurgat was shot point-blank on this street corner in broad daylight. al-shurgat had also published material on the crimes committed by is in syria.

>> it happened over there on the pavement. the gunman fled on foot. we were just sitting here in front of the shop. we get murders now, bomb attacks, missiles coming over from syria, we've gotten used to it. gunnar: al-shurgat was the fourth syrian journalist to be murdered in turkish citiesnear the border. in mid-june, this man survived an attack but was severely wounded. each time, islamic state claimed responsibility. but not once has a suspect been arrested. how is it possible that this brutal terrorist organization can operate with impunity in turkey? we drive to the syrian border, accompanied by ali demirhan, a turkish hun rights activist. he has long been investigating the activities of is and other radical islamic groups in the border region. he says the border installations

on the turkish side have been fortified, but they don't hinter the jihadists: >> they climb over walls, crawl through tunnels or come across green areas that are not guarded. according to official statistics, between 500 and 1500 people cross the border illegally every day. >> the turkish border town of reyhanli is considered a stronghold of is and other radical islamic groups from syria. a monument pays tribute to 53 people killed in an is bomb attack. syrians are now in the majority in the town. no one is willing to talk to us about is. >> we know that there are groups here which help militant jihadists from syria with smuggling and getting in and out of the country. reyhanli is the jihadists' logistical centre. this is the hub where everything

comes together from both sides is of the border. >> turkish human rights activists also discovered this: syrian children working in a garment factory in turkey, making uniforms for the war back home. is fighters arare report to o be among ththe customers. but asking questions about is here in the border area is clearly unwelcome. shortly after we started filming, we were stopped by plain clothes police officers and ordered to leave the town. but demirhan has more to show us. he takes us to a deportation centre for foreigners, some 30 kilometers from reyhanli. he says many foreign is fighters are held here - although rarely for longer than a few weeks. >> although they're suspected is terrorists, they just get deported after a short while to a third country without being charged.

everything that happens in this deportation centre is secret. the turkish secret service is in charge here. we think it's basically a transit centre for jihadists. >> we tried to talk to the governor of gaziantep about the centre and about the killing of syrian journalists in turkey. but our requests for an interview got no response. even turkey's chief state prosecutor views gaziantep as the headquarters of is in turkey. since the murder of his friend naji jerf, who was lured into an ambush despite taking precautions, ahmad no longer trusts the turkish state. >> we suspect that parts of the security apparatus in turkey are working together with is - but we can't prove it. corruption i is very widespreadn turkey's civil service. and because of the close proximity to syria, it's very tempting for some to try to make money from the war.

>> could turkish officials have been accessories to murder in return for bribes? it's a serious accusation. the murderers of ahmad's colleagues might still be in gaziantep. he's keen to get back into hiding before darkness falls. michelle we would like to : welcome our colleague gunnar koehne whose report on the plight of journalists in turkey we just saw. welcome to the program. you went to the border region. what was the atmosphere like? gunnar: we saw a lot of tensions among the syrian community, which lives along the border. they show all the political, ethnic, and religious conflicts that affect us in syria. many a are made the violence spills over to turkey. for us personally, it was not

easy to work in there because we were warned that the ins is capable of abducting western foreigners from there and bringing them over to westerners syria. michelle: how dangerous are the terrorists for turkey? gugunnar: the i.s. is very dangerous for turkey right now. numeral or deadly serving -- 4 deadly attacks happen in turkey, and for all of them, the ins -- ththe.s. claimed responsibility. more than 200 people were killed. that shows that obviously turkey is an easy target for them. it is a neighboring country, a predominantly muslim country, but at the samee time, a western hour like, a member of nato, so

if they somehow managed to cause chaos in turkey, that would also have effects on the rest of europe. michelleleturkish sesecurity forces are accccused of working with the islamic state. did you find any evidence of this? gunnar: no, no evidence this time, but we have seen earlier, for example, loads of military goods crossing the border over to syria. we have seen other goods crossing over with clearly written on it the main city, the main base of the islamic state. also, the turkish opposition thinks that all this is suspicious. they suspect that the government is directly supporting jihadists groups in syria, but the turkish government reject that. michelle: the turkish people living in this border region, how are they dealing with it?

gunnar: the mood is changing. they are more and more turning against syrian refugees in their neighborhood. unfortununately, we have s seen violent clashes, which mean syrians and turks in the region in the last days. michelle: thank you very much for coming in, sharing your thoughts with us. when the people of the united kingdom voted to leave the european union, it sent shockwaves throughout europe, especially in britain. the prime minister announced his resignation, making way for a new leader now to implement the momentous decision. but would this bring hope to the people who voted for brexit? we went to stoke on trent -- a city blighted by high unemployment, shuttered businesses and lonong-gone industry. its residents overwhelmingly voted to leave -- not as a snub to the eu but to show just how deeply dissatisfied they were with their own government.

>> if only hope street lived up to its name. perhaps it did back in the days when stoke-on-trent was still properous. signs of the city's decline can be seen on the streets and on the faces of its residents. at 70 years of age, bob is still washing windows -- 7 days a week. he can't live on his pension and he's very angry at the powers that be. bob feels eurosceptic party ukip is the only one taking his concerns seriously. >> our prime ministers and mps, local mps, should come here and look around and see what it's like -- instead of sitting in a lovely office. >> they don't look after you? >> no! no, and that's why we've all voted 'out'. but we've got the problem now with young'uns who are saying: the old'uns shouldn't have a vote; you're not thinking of our future. i voted for two reasons: keep people out, so my children and grandchildren will get a chance.

>> comments like these are repeated up and down hope street -- for instance, at the local hairdresser's. >> when we get so many immigrants that are, too much is too much. other countries can say the same. and i feel so sorry for them that they haven't got a country of their own. >> here they followed the 'leave' campaign's rallying cry that the ship is full, and foreigners are taking all the jobs and doctor's appointments -- even though few eu immigrants actually live in stoke. over 70 percent of the city's residents voted in favour of brexit. richard stubbs was one of them, even though he's lived abroad himself -- in germany and australia. but he feels his community has been neglected and his country is deeply divided. >> the wealth is so disproportionate these days between people at the bottom and people at the top, and the gap is just furthering apart.

anand it feels like e the eu ist of thahat problem. >> sajid hashmi's office is located at the foot of hope street, in an old potter's workshop. his charity, which provides support for volunteer and community groups, is funded by the eu. he no longer receives any money from london. hashmi says services all over stoke-on-trent have been slashed. >> a lot of the jobs were in the public sector: with the nhs, with the local authority, with the councils, with the police, fire [department] and so on -- and all of those have had cuts. and because all of those have had cuts, people who had jobs in those areas have all gone. and that's what makes it very, very difficult to comprehend -- that they've lost their jobs because of austerity and that austerity was imposed on stoke-on-trent by the central government. >> disused brick kilns and factories are reminders of better days. stoke's porcelain was once world famous. the ceramics industry employed

tens of thousands, and made the city proud and affluent. but those days are long gone. foreigners. yet hashmi is -- hashmi wants to show us what happens to people who've been written off and forgotten by government leaders. here he was recently attacked by an angry mob who shouted get out! we're no longer in the eu and can throw out you foreigners. yet hashmi is british. >> it seems that it's ok to be racist. it's ok to be prejudiced. it's ok to say things to other people which people would not have said before in public. >> what does it tell you about your country? >> it tells me that we're becoming intolerant. that we're losing the best thing we had, which was that we were welcoming, we were t terant. >> attempts have been made to make neighbourhoods like this liveable again, but there aren't enough funds available to make much of a difference. lawrence poxton has a house and

a job, yet he still voted to leave the eu. he shows us why -- behind this gate lie two pillows and blankets. >> 18, 19-year old english, basically children, are living in the back of here. don't disown your own for the sake of somebody that's in romania or poland. eu immigrants have become scapegoats. the downtrodden masses used the brexit referendum as a protest vote. >> 72 percent voted in this election, in this referendum. stand up and be counted now. your votes in a general election basically don't count. in a referendum they do. >> stoke-on-trent was long a labour stronghold, but people here no longer feel the party has their interests at heart. they've bought into populist rhetoric that britain should close its borders and become master of its own destiny. >> the fact that 70 percent of the people that live here voted

to leave just tells you how angry they are with the government. and they've just used this as an excuse to have a go at the government. so i don't think it was they want to leave europe. it was they wanted to teach the government a lesson, saying you know: we've been ignored for so long. >> hashmi worries about the political vacuum that's developed in his country. he thinks people's hopes are bound to be dashed, because the brexit campaign was based on lies. and, when it comes to poverty, british leaders have looked the other way for so long it's unlikely that will change now. michelle: just how much would your life change if you were handed a thousand euros a month, no strings attached? the idea of a basic income is touching a nerve across all of europe amid a rise in poverty levels -- particularly since 2008's financial crisis. switzerland just held a referendum on it and finland plans to administer a basic

income starting next year. in berlin, some lucky people are receiving an unconditional basic income in an experiment to find out just how well it could work. >> lisa richter-reichhelm has always wanted to become a vet. she's doing her phd in veterinary medicine. that meant living on a reduced income of 400 euros a month. for a while that was ok, until she discovered she was pregnant. >> it was the first time that i wrote everything down, and started to look at where i could cut costs. i wondered if 14 euros a month for my cellphone contract was too much. it was the first time i realised how tight things were getting. >> worrying about how to make ends meet can be stressful to say the least. lisa considered giving up on her phd. but then in march she started

receiving an unconditional basic income. 1000 euros a month for one year, no strings attached. lisa won the money from the berlin association for basic income. the group collects donations on its website through crowdfunding -- which it then pays out for one year at 1000 euros a month. >> we use our wheel of fortune once or twice a month to determine a winner. every time we have 12,000 euros worth of donations, we spin the wheel and announce the winner online. >> amira and her team have now been able to award one year's basic income to 40 people. they see themselves as pioneers and hope to put the issue of unconditional basic income on the political agenda. >> it gives people a lot of freedom. once they no longer have to

worry about how they're going to live, they're free to think about what they want to do. we'd like to see it introduced all over germany. >> critics say a basic income would make people lazy. they could just lean back and relax in their welfare hammock and do nothing. but amira disagrees. >> people want to do something. they want to be useful, they want to have a sense of purpose and be active. >> lisa and her partner dario are certainly impressed. ththey both want to fininish thr phds before their basic income runs out next year. the cash injection came at just the right time, allowing them to focus on setting up their careers and having a family. michelle would free money lead : to people being lazy? what's your opinion? let us know what you think about that or any of today's stories

by getting in touch on facebook, email or twitter. with its balmy climate and azure sea, it's no surprise that crimea is a popular destination for russian visitors. and ever since the peninsula was annexed by russia, it's become even more appealing to russian germans unhappy with germany and its policies. in the post-communist 1990's, 2 million people moved from russia to germany hoping for a better life here. now, some are moving back -- claiming a greater connection to mother russia and president putin than to modern day germany. >> when viktoria karizki lived in the german industrial city of essen, hitting the beach after work was wishful thinking. but crimea's sunny black sea resorts have been the stuff of many a russian daydream. when russia annexed crimea, viktoria saw her chance. she made the move in late 20-15. she wouldn't have considered it, if crimea had still been part of ukraine.

>> at first,t, i wanted to go to russia, but when crimea held the referendum and decided to join russia, i wanted to come here. mymy husband thought i was jokig , but i wasn't, and it was all so easy. >> everyone in feodosia on crimea's southern coast knows the family - especially angelina, their eldest daughter. they call her 'nemka!' - german girl! the karizkis are the first family to move here from germany, and not the other way around. to some it's a matter of pride. >> of course, it's a bit odd, but she speaks russian very well, so we hear interesting things about germany. >> and they say it's just not true that the sanctions on russia have left them languishing in misery. angelina has also met opponents of the annexation -- such as ukrainian olga minich. >> can i say this without being arrested?

this business with russia isn't all that great. the prices have all gone up, and you can't say what you want any more. >> i haven't been in crimea long, but i'm positively surprised. >> many volga germans see the annexation as crimea returning to the russian empire. it was part of russia until 1954. a group of volga germans is in sevastopol on a tour arranged by dmitri rempel of the unity resettler party -- widely considered to be pro-putin. they say they want to see crimea with their own eyes. they don't trust the media. >> we get our information from some news service or other memea, so we w wanted to see wih our own eyes what's really going on here -- what's been happening both now and before.

>> they watch a video made by pro-kremlin tv channel nts. 'no to europe; yes to russia', says a banner at a demonstration. then come images of the better future for crimea that russian rule is supposed to bring. crimea already had a tiny volga german community. with dmitri rempel's support, its leader is promoting a rebirth of the crimea germans. he says about 15-hundred inquiries have come in - from volga germans who back russia's course and not germany's. >> some aren't satisfied with today's situation, especially concerning the refugees. and many can't accept the destruction of christian and family values, by which i mean primarily homosexuality. the geman schools are practically teaching it.

>> russia's client government of crimea is also welcoming the return of the volga germans. >> that means the ice is broken. the international community is starting to understand that what everybody's saying about the annexation of crimea being illegal just isn't so. >> these two volga germans were given a warm welcome by local authorities. willi sdor plans to make the move once his children have left home. he says many people he knows intend to do the same. he's handed their letters to the local government. he reads from one: >> we see no future for us in germany -- we feel like hostages here. everything's slipping away: our youth and family values. there's unemployment, drug use, and no financial security. the germans get everything: jobs, paid vacations, pensions, but we get nothing. viktoria karizki can afford a higher living standard in crimea

-- a new car and a house -- but only because her husband still works in germany. she doesn't feel at home in germany, but she's not sure if she will in crimea. >> the kids feel good here, and the weather's great, but i'm not 10100-percent sure it was the right move. it takes time to understand everything and lose the rose-colored glasses. >> to some volga germans, crimea represents hope for a new beginning together with the security they may have once had. but the reality might turn out to be quite different. michelle: that's all for today. thank you for watching. gobye from me and the whole team. see you next time. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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>> to many outsiders culture is something that bebegins and ends the movie. literature in architecture and urban life.e. citycenent years,s, the artistic profile has grown bigger and brighter. with new ways of thinking about the landscape. join me as we hit some of the city's most important cultural centers. i'm culture writer for the lolos angeles t time. thisis is "artbound."